Hue City (CG 66) - Naval Cruise Book

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Our Ship A to Z Quick reaction to tiireats ensures our safety. We man battlestations in less tlian 7 minutes! Deployment 2002 79

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ijeka, Croatia On July 27th. 2002. Hue City pulled into Rijeka. Croatia Rijeka was quiet city ttiat provided a nice change of pace and a chance lor the crew to witness our first thunderstorm in 6 nnonths The nearby city of Opati)a was a short tnp for the beach lovers and was the place to go for a good nneal. Cnvitia Uvaled in tho northwestern part ol the Balkan Peninsula, it is a small Net highly diverse, crescent- shaped ct unir . The upper ann of the Croatian crescent is bordered on the east h the VojMxlina region of Serbia and on the north b Hungary and Slovenia. The btxly of the crescent forms a long coastal strip along the Adriatic Sea. and the southern lip touches on Montenegro. Within the hollow of the crescent. Croatia shares a li ng border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which actualls se ers a part of southern Croatia Ironi the rest of the countrv b penetrating to the Adnatic in a narrow ct rridt)r. The total area ol the counin. is 2 1 .(S2 square miles (56.538 square kiU)meires). Its capital is Zagreb, kvated in the north. The modem-day republic is composed c f the historically Cnxitian regions of Croatia-Sla (inia (kvated in the upper ann of the country ). Istria (centred on the Istrian Pennisuia on the nt)rthem Adriatic coast), and Dalmalia (corresponding to the coastal strip). Although these regions were ruled for centuries by arious foreign pt)wers. they remained firmly Western-oriented in culture, acquiring a legacy of Roman law. Uain alphabet, and western liuropcan political and economic traditions and institutions. Since the 19W)s. the geographic beaulv and cultural diNcrsitv of Croatia have attracted an increasing numK-rof tiuirists. enabling the countrs to sur i e as a place where cultural intemiingling is the nomi while adding substantially to its economic de eU)pment. Rijeka is a major port and the industrial, commercial, and cultural centre of Croatia. ItKated on the K amer (a gulf of the .Adriatic .Sea). It is the major port of Croatia. The cit is situated on a narrow llalhuul K ' lween the Julian .Alps and the .Adriatic, spreading up the sU)[vs and onto the landfills on the sealrt)nt. Hie name, dating fn m the 13th century, refers to the river called Rjeyina in Serbo-Croatian and Fiumara. or Eneo. in Italian. The port is a primary naval base and a point of departure for coastal shipping. The coastal section of the Adriatic Highway begins at Rijeka. w hich also has rail connections to Trieste. Ljubljana, and Ziigreb. Ships ards and repair facilities, major oil refineries, a paper factt)r . and a diesel-engine works ( in w hich in 1 SWi the linglish owner Robert Whitehead unented the torpedo) are industries of major imixirlance. In 1471 it was incorporated into Austria, and it was made a free port in 1717. united to Croatia in 1776. and declared an autonom»»us cits of the Hungarian crown in 1779. Tlie F-rench tvcupied it in the years 1S(W-I4. after which the English expelled the French. I ' ntil after Worid ar 1. it wasallemaleh under Austrian. Hungarian, and Croatian rule, during which period the buildup of the port and rail connections i(H)k place. After I9IX Fiume-Rijeka became a major issue of the peace settlements. .At first it was ielded to the new Yugoslav state, but it was returned to Italy in 1924 alter Benito Mussolini assumed power, and the agreement for a free state was reneged upon. Yugoslavia retained the suburb of Susak and certain port privileges, but the port declined under Italian management. In 1943. during World W;ir II. the Gennans t(X)k over Rijeka. which suffered extensive damage from Allied air raids. In May 1945. tFie Yugoslavs liberated the city after heavy fighting, but not before the Gennans had blown up port installations. 78 USS Hue City (CG-66)

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' ' Our Ship A to Z Phalanx Weapon System is a point defense gatling gun capable of firing 3000 rounds per minute. 80 USS Hue Cily (CG-66)